Highlights of a trip on the Orient Express

28 November 2012

When Vanity Fair described the Venice-Simplon Orient Express as ‘the train against which all other luxury trains are measured’, they weren’t exaggerating. This train is probably the most glamorous, romantic and dazzling one of all.

Travelling to eight destinations in Europe in between March and November, you can expect all the carriages to be of rolling vintage stock. Equipped with full overnight luxury service, a trip on the Orient Express will stay with you and yours forever.

We’ve compiled a short list of highlights you’ll experience during a trip on this magnificent train.

Champs-Élysées

The first leg of your journey will take you to Paris on the Eurostar. While you’re there, take a stroll in the world-famous Champs-Élysées. It has a plethora of cinemas, cafés, luxury boutiques and some of the most expensive properties in the world.

We recommend you also visit Le Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde. Described as the ‘most beautiful avenue in the world’, it’s something you simply have to see for yourself.

Sightseeing in Milan

The guided tour of Milan is simply breathtaking - the city’s breadth of history and culture is overwhelming. Make a beeline for the Milan Cathedral (the Duomo), which is the world’s largest Gothic cathedral and took a staggering six centuries to complete.

Other required viewing includes La Scala - one of the greatest opera and ballet theatres in the world - and Italy’s oldest shopping mall, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This four-storey double arcade boasts jewellery stalls, bookshops, cafés, art shops, hotels and much, much more.

Exploring Venice

Another exciting stop that your train will make is at Venice. Take a whole day to explore the Teatro La Fenice, Venice’s own legendary opera house, the Rialto Bridge that overlooks the Grand Canal and all the beautiful buildings that line it.

No trip to Venice would be complete without a trip along the canals in a gondola. If you fancy a more contemporary form of canal-travel, we recommend taking the Vaporetti.

The lesser-known outskirts of Venice are most certainly worth checking out - why not take a trip to the islands of Burano and Murano?

The luxury of the train itself

Of course, the train – immortalised in book, film and song - is a major highlight of the trip itself. View the glorious passing country from the comfort of your personal compartment, chat with fellow guests in the glamorous surrounds of the cocktail bar and enjoy sumptuous food in one of the restaurant cars for a memorable ‘cruise’ with a difference.